Flangst
by hentai-monkey
Summary: a collection of drabbles ranging in rating and topic, but always focused on the pairing of fai and kurogane and mainly within the genre of fluff or angst.
1. Steam

There was nothing like a hot shower at the end of a long day. The warm water falling in heated perfection on his back, the pain being soothed away by the warm water and it's amazing, magical qualities. He would never admit to it, but he was jealous of the way nature worked. There was something about water that was just born to heal. Who would have thought that? The most powerful force in all the worlds and it was the most likely to heal. It would destroy with one fell swoop and then heal the next day. it was something to be admired, something to be enjoyed and reveled in.

Hot showers were a blessing. And it was times when he was immersed in the hot water, imagining things were okay between he and his traveling companions that he was most at peace. And the heated eyes that watched his naked form moving in the clear water didn't hurt his feelings either. He was a fan of those mysterious crimson eyes that burned and healed and loved and scalded. He was a fan of anything that made him tingle and want and desire. He was a man of passion and desires and he wanted what he couldn't have.

The crimson eyes belonged to a powerful ninja who just happened to be his only companion. The children (for they were little more than that) were unable to grasp just how deeply the mask ran. The ninja, he was able to see with a glance that the mask needed to fall, the mask needed to come off. And when the wizard asked him why, he wouldn't answer. Simply replying that he wanted to see what would happen if he could make it fall.

He wanted to show him the broken mask. He really did, but he was afraid of the reaction. He wanted to see it, but was he able to handle the consequences of seeing his face, broken and bared in it's hideousness? He didn't think the ninja would be able to handle it, no matter what the ninja used to do. No matter what the ninja's background.

And yet, in the hot water of pleasing showers, it was easy to forget the mask that wouldn't move that was stuck between them. If the mask would fall, the ninja would be more than willing to move in and make things better. The wizard was too stubborn, to afraid to let him see, to let him know the truth. The steam made it easier to pretend that it was okay, that things weren't eschewed and that he had a place at the ninja's side.

The steam allowed him to cry as he was with the ninja, hiding his tears in the foggy mists of the heated bathroom. The steam allowed him to pretend the ninja were smiling as he joined him in the shower, that his hands and body were touching because they wanted to, they were attracted to him, not because the thin wizard was a fitting substitute for women.

He liked hot showers. There was nothing like a hot shower at the end of a long day…


	2. Arms

Warm arms. That was what he longed for when he fell into their shared bed at night. No matter what the world, no matter what the kingdom, he would be trapped with the ninja in a bedroom. It was something he had hated in the beginning of the journey with his current companions, but he was incapable of denying him anything.

Kurogane was a man who liked to be intimate. He was always there. When things weren't going as well as he wanted them to, when he was left to mourn for things long past, things long gone, things he was loathe to remember, Fai would fall into bed, motion for Kurogane and things would be terribly hot and sweaty and things were sure to be forgotten.

Fear would never leave him. He didn't have the courage to leave him. He wanted to, he wanted to forget the pain and the love that was blossoming in his heart, but he couldn't. He couldn't forget what was blossoming in his heart. He was falling in love with the ninja and he was ashamed of himself.

Kurogane wouldn't want to be with him like a lover. He would prefer to be with him as just a fucktoy, and that was okay. As long as Kurogane didn't know about the feelings that coursed through his body, the desire he felt in his heart, then he wouldn't have to burden the ninja.

But it was times like this, when he was lying in the warm arms behind him, that his body felt most at ease. When after a long day of fighting and having to give his all for something he didn't really, truly believe in that he was happiest. He was thrilled to be laying in the bed beside his ninja friend, lover. He didn't care what it meant, just as long as when the dark came, when the nightmares returned, he could fall into bed and enjoy the warmth of those arms. He wanted to just fall into the bed beside his ninja lover and hope for the best. He didn't want to have to remember.

_XxXxXx_

When the sun had risen, there were a lot of things to consider. One of them being that he and Kurogane had indeed spent a long night wrapped in each other's arms, holding each other tight and loving each other through the night. They couldn't do anything other then be friends, and when the sun came up, Fai dreaded the face he would have to see. He knew that he would see Kurogane's handsome face twisted into a snarl of disgust. He knew that he would see Kurogane's handsome body leaving the warmth of the bed they had shared and he would regret every moment spent in the daylight. He wanted to see Kurogane's body wrapped in the warmth of night, in the dark of secrets that they kept each other nice and warm.

As they moved through the day, regretting silently the things they did with each other, they were both eager and impatient to find the night. They were eager to find comfort in their arms once more, eager to find each other happy and loving and together. When the night fell, when there were no witnesses to their activities and to the secret they shared with one another, then he would be truly happy.

Happy and safe, wrapped in the warm arms of a pretend lover.


	3. Smiles

Smiles

Sometimes Kurogane wanted to beat the wizard and knock the stupid smile off of his handsome face. He wanted to tell him that it was okay to not smile. That it was an okay thing to not be happy all the time. It was a very creepy thing, to think that Fai would always plaster on his stupid smile.

At night however, Kurogane could hear the nearly silent sobs that tormented the wizard. He could feel the bed shuddering under his slight form, trembling as he shook with his mourning sobs. Fai wasn't happy, he wasn't close to what happy was but he continued to pretend. E continued to assume the smiling idiots façade.

Kurogane wanted to force the thin idiot against the wall and make him not smile. He didn't want to see the stupid smile on his face. He wanted to see what Fai looked like without his stupid smile. He'd managed to worm his way into Kurogane's mind, forcing the ninja to protect him, though he didn't really want to. He wanted to know the real Fai. He was determined to know who Fai was and what Fai was running from.

He wouldn't admit it, but he would watch. He would listen and he would learn. He was determined to know Fai but he was unable to admit to him his desire.

Fai smiled at Kurogane couldn't stop the urge to help him, to comfort him.

During the day, Kurogane pretended not to care. At night, he fought to keep himself away from Fai.

After all, Fai's smiles were always going to be there.


	4. Cuddling

Cuddle

Sometimes he just wanted to snuggle. Sometimes he just wanted to lay in their bed and sit as close as he could to Kurogane's warm body. He wanted to snuggle as close to him as he could, but he couldn't allow himself to give into his wants.

Sometimes though, Kurogane could understand that and when it was dark and night had taken over them, the ninja would give in and wrap his arms around Fai's thing form. Sometimes he would show an amazing ability to comprehend the whimsical waif of a wizard. The wizard enjoyed the resistant attention but he wanted it to be deeper than a moment of peace between them. He wanted- he yearned for it to mean more. To mean more than a chance encounter of affection.

Fai was afraid of what true affection meant though. He'd never had an opportunity to see what true affection meant outside his head, in the real world. He knew what Ashura-ou had taught him and that was nothing like what Kurogane gave him.

Gentle touches and heavy arms wrapped tightly around his thin form. Ashura-ou had given rough pushes and no arms to hold him. Ashura-ou taught him fear and pain and loathing to be affectionate with somebody.

But sometimes he just wanted to snuggle against his ninja and pretend that everyday was the same. Every day he would be allowed to snuggle into the ninja and allow himself to be a ninja's lover. He was afraid to be that way, but he knew that it was necessary. He wanted to be the perfect lover, what Kurogane deserved, but he couldn't. He just couldn't without killing off the demon who had taught him what affection meant.

Cuddling with Kurogane was nice, though he would never openly admit it. If the ninja knew, then he wouldn't snuggle against him anymore. Not if he knew that Fai liked it for what it was.

Cuddling was good. Sometimes. He could pretend that he knew affection for the gentle thing it truly was.


	5. Chocolate

Kurogane was a sucker for chocolate. He would never admit it, but he really was. He didn't want Fai to know about it. He didn't want that damn wizard to know! If he did, he'd exploit it. So, he just pretended not to like all sweets. '_It was easier to avoid chocolate when you don't enjoy sweets',_ he reminded himself.

"Kuro-pi!" the idiot wizard called. He just couldn't get the full name, could he?

"What do you want?"

"I've got you a present," Fai purred, sliding close to Kurogane.

"What?"

"It's the day of lover's and I got you a gift," Fai answered. "So close your eyes and open your mouth."

"Day of lover's? Kurogane growled, his intimidating appearance much more so as he turned irritated crimson eyes to the waif.

"Lover's day!" Fai chirped. "I know, I know. We aren't lovers or anything but you are important to me and that's what today is all about."

"What is it?"

"Something yummy to make you think of me!"

"Quickly," Kurogane sighed. He would never admit it, but he was a sucker for Fai. He couldn't really say no to Fai.

Fai smiled mischievously and waited for Kurogane's crimson eyes to close. With the ninja blind, Fai placed a small piece of chocolate candy on his tongue and pressed his lips to Kurogane's. Said ninja's eyes flew open but he couldn't- or wouldn't- move and Fai slid his tongue along Kurogane's bottom lip. The ninja opened up and nearly moaned softly at the small piece of melting milky chocolate.

Fai separated after a few eternal moments of tongues dancing and smiled, "Happy lover's day."

Kurogane stared in shock after the blond left the room and couldn't stop the blush on his cheeks. He wasn't sure if he wanted to share his liking of chocolate, but if it came like that, he knew he would enjoy a little more chocolate…


	6. Understanding?

There is a pain in his heart. He can feel it when he breathes in and his chest constricts and his breath is halted. There is a fear in his brain. He can hear it whispering silently as he walks beside solid companions, looking over his shoulder, waiting for that invisible specter to find him. There is numbness in his daily routine. He knows that he should feel excited to be on this world-hopping quest, but he can not bring himself to feel anything about it, it's just another day he moves forward.

He supposes he should try to sort himself out. He would like to, but he's afraid to. What if sorting himself out means exposing himself to his companions? Companions who have become more than mere companions, who have become friends and a lover and a simple family without bounds. No matter how hard they tried, he would not talk about himself. He was a painful subject not suitable for the ears of lovers and children.

Blue eyes as deep as oceans and a smile to calm even a raging ninja, he was paradoxical and mysterious. A child even more childish than the children they traveled with. He was kind and friendly and open and endearing and he could never seem to figure out how to be serious. His smile was large and when he laughed, you wanted to laugh right along with him. And when he had lain with the ninja for the first time, he'd shared his surprising talent for being serious and sensual and wonderful.

"I will never understand you," the ninja declared softly, letting his breath whisper warmly over the pale skin. "I'll never know the real you, will I?"

"I don't want you to know," he'd managed to reply with a hint of seduction and a teasing tone in his light, lilting voice. "I don't want you to know."

The ninja had said nothing else about it, opting for the silence that was shared between the two when they shared a kiss. When they were one, he would scream into the ninja's mouth, his breath and the ninja's one. His thin body would wrap completely around the ninja, holding him in limbs that were thin and frail to the eyes and full of muscles. The ninja liked him, though his numerous claims to the opposite. The ninja enjoyed the way he was able to break the monotony of any day, no matter what had or hadn't happened. He liked the way he could turn a hopeless situation and with a simple phrase, breathe hope and life back into his companions, almost like breathing.

But most of all, the ninja liked that every night, when he lay in his bed and waited for sleep to claim him, he would have the thin body curled before him. He would have the warmth that only came from having another living, breathing human being with him in his bed. He had the soft noise that was breathing, that was proof that the pleasant dream that he had a lover in his life wasn't a lie. Wasn't something he didn't have to pretend was real. It was there. He had a lover and he was a thin little wizard who teased and mocked and smiled and smiled fake smiles.


	7. Morning

He is a powerful wizard. He knows many things that others can only dream of. He can hop through the worlds with ease, he can bring himself, though admittedly it is tiring, to the dimension of the unknown and he is capable of keeping up a smiling façade, even when he wants to hide in a corner and cry, his fear battling his common sense, his knowledge lost in the surety that one day soon, his life will end and it will be a gruesome ending. He hopes that he is no longer with his companions and his lover when that happens. If he is still with them, if they bear witness to his terrible death, a fate he can not escape, no matter how hard he tries, it will destroy them.

His lover, strong and silent and beautiful and powerful would be able to handle it. With a few months he would probably be able to move on again too. He could store him away with the knowledge that while it lasted, it was true. The children, especially the little princess, would be devastated by what they saw. They have seen many things that children shouldn't see, but they are far stronger than they appear. But to see a comrade, a companion torn to pieces before his very eyes, that would destroy them and all the innocence that is left in them.

He has a story. And it is a sad true story. He wants to tell somebody his story, he wants to share the secret of his past, why he runs away like a coward and endures his lover's harsh words and cruel tongue. But he's afraid to. Telling his secret could destroy his lover. Telling his secret could hurt the children. Telling his secret would result in many questions asked that have no business being asked.

Sighing heavily, he tilts his head back, basking in the warm glow that is the early morning. He will never forget the constant cold that was his former home, but he can never leave behind that warmth that comes on a sunny day in the middle of the spring months, when the world is not blanketed by inches and feet of snow.

And when his lover wraps his arms around him tonight, it'll be okay. He'll smile in his old familiar way and whisper that everything is okay, though it clearly isn't.


	8. Pretend

Pretend

They played pretend a lot. They didn't look into each other's eyes seeking truth undeniable, they just blended their bodies, their hoping into one entity and they pretended.

Kurogane pretended he didn't care about that blond wizard who would ride him. Who would impale himself heavily and skillfully, reaching his own pleasure with each thrust. He pretended he didn't care about the faint scars on the otherwise flawless skin. He didn't care about the tears that always poured when they were spent, lying close enough without really touching. Kurogane pretended he liked things that way.

Fai pretended that he did care. He knew, he could tell that Kurogane liked him a lot. But he didn't return the feelings. He couldn't. He had loved once and now he was traveling through worlds to escape that love. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, whether his partner did or not like him. But because Kurogane wouldn't admit the feelings in him, Fai pretended. Because if he was going to continue to allow the ninja his body, somebody had to show they liked the other.

They pretended a lot. Hating that the other did, but so very unwilling to give their own game up.


	9. Liar

Liar

Fai would smile an awful lot. He would good and play and have an obvious good time. But there were occasions when he would just stare into space. A ghost of a fake smile would grace his beautiful face and his eyes would glaze over and he would be far away. He wouldn't be completely with him any longer.

While he liked it when Fai was quiet, when he was no more being an idiot, it always struck a chord of uncertainty in Kurogane. He liked to know that Fai could no longer remain an idiot all the damn time, that Fai could occasionally be a man of serious nature. Fai was a creature of mysterious and hidden desires. He told his traveling companions, his friends and most trusted partners that he was just on a journey. He didn't want to accept that Fai would lie to him. He didn't want to accept that Fai, the Fai he wanted to throw against the wall and ravish, would lie to him.

Kurogane hated liars. He hated it when Fai would look into the distance and pretend he was happy, even though Kurogane could see unshed tears. He could see the glossy sheen that just screamed Fai was going to cry. And he never did. That was the worst part, knowing that the lost little blond wanted to, but wouldn't allow himself the opportunity to cry.

Fai was always pretending. He pretended to be happy. He pretended to smile. He pretended to be a lot of things and all Kurogane could figure out was that Fai was a liar. He hated that Fai was liar.


	10. Sick

Sick

He's hacking in the bedroom we share. And I can't do anything to make him feel better and it's tearing me apart. I wish I knew how to make him feel better, but I can't do anything. He's coughing and there are tears in his usually dry eyes. I hate seeing that. I don't know how to help him and I wish I did. I really wish I did.

He's hacking up phlegm and I can't believe he's sick. He comes from a land of snow and ice and he's sick. He's caught a cold on one of the worlds we visited that was covered in snow. He gave his coat up, pretending that he could handle the cold better than anyone else because he was from a land of ice and snow and the frigid cold.

"Will you help me sit up?" his voice asks softly. His voice, usually so smooth and sexy is rough and harsh and I hate it. I don't like to hear this sound in his voice. He's hurting and there's nothing I can do about it. I hate when he pretends to be stronger than he truly is.

I sigh and move to his side. "Where do you want to go?" I ask in a voice that is just as soft.

"I want to sit with you," he whispers and his voice is so quiet, I nearly miss what he said. "I… I'm lonely."

"Idiot. You're supposed to be sleeping. You're sick. You won't get any better if you don't get any sleep."

"How do you know?" he asks, pouting. He looks, for all the world, like a petulant child. "Have you ever tended a sick wizard before?"

"No. I haven't tended a sick wizard before. But I have tended a sick princess and she was hard to deal with. Now, you won't get any better without any sleep."

"I'm lonely. I can't… please?"

Rolling my eyes, I can't help it. I always give into him, just like I always gave into the princess. I'm such a softie, I'll have to work on that. "I'll sit on the bed with you. You will sleep. Ok?"

"I'll sleep if you sit with me. I just don't want to be lonely anymore," he whispers softly. I sit beside him on the bed and close my eyes. This is only because he is sick. If he wasn't, I wouldn't do it. But he's sick, so it's okay.

"It's only because you're sick. If you weren't sick I wouldn't do it. And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you," I threaten softly, hoping I'm not blushing.

"I won't tell," he whispers, his voice soft and slurred as he leans over and rests on my shoulder. "Thank you, Kuro-min."

I look away from him and can't wait for him to get better. I hate him being sick. It's not right. It's almost like I'm going to be nice. That's funny. That's a joke.

"Feel better Fai," I whisper. He snuggles against me and I can't stop my arm that slides over his shoulder and pulls him against me.


	11. Leather Bands

Kurogane had never given any thought to the leather bands people in this world wore. He'd been to hundreds of worlds and seen hundreds of different styles. Leather bands on their necks were just another world's style.

He had completely dismissed the style until Fai walked into their shared bedroom. He was naked from his hips up, his pale form gliding through the air. The dark black pants he wore were loose on his thin form, hanging dangerously low on his body. On his neck he wore a black leather band around his neck, silver dancing seductively on the colorless fabric. Kurogane felt himself instantly responding.

"Fai," he murmured, beckoning the thin man to him and the single bed in the room.

"What is it Kuro-chan?" Fai whispered, his voice deep and husky with his own desire.

"Let me see that thing around your neck. Now," Kurogane answered, pushing himself into a kneeling position.

"You know," Fai whispered, crawling forward to kneel before the ninja. "On my world, there are called slave collars," Fai smirked, fingering the collar on his throat. "Only the slaves in the harems wore these. Or the whores."

Kurogane tangled his fingers with Fai's around the bad. "Does this make you my whore? Or my harem boy?"

"I'll be your whore tonight," Fai answered, blinking his long lashes seductively.

Kurogane fell back, pulling the thin wizard with him. With the blond straddling him, he thrust his hips up, pressing into Fai's clothed ass.

Tonight and tonight only, Fai would pretend to play the whore once more. Fai would be the ninja's whore. He would be Kurogane's whore.

_XxXxXx_

When Fai woke up considerably sated, he couldn't find his leather collar anywhere. Kurogane smiled in his false sleep, holding the collar tightly.

Tonight he would wear the collar for Fai.


	12. Tears

Tears

Fai was hopelessly obsessed. There was something about the ninja. He couldn't stop harassing the ninja. The more he irritated him, the more likely he would leave him alone at night. And if he was left alone at night, he would be able to cry. He would be bale to mourn the life he left behind, mourn the future that threatened him with every step he took forward. He was running and the ninja hated it.

He was a coward and Kurogane hated cowards most of all. It hurt to think that Kurogane hated him. That he was just an annoyance to the overtly handsome ninja, but he couldn't change. He was running. And to stop would mean death.

So it was that late at night, when nothing else moved that Fai was softly crying in the bed. For some reason, Kurogane had opted to sleep in the floor, rather than beside the wizard, hurting his heart far more deeply than it should have. And as he lay, silently weeping, he could hear Kurogane's calm breathes as he slept.

He was practiced at the art of silent tears. He'd never share his heart break, his tears, with anyone. He was secretive. Far more so than anyone he knew. Far more than the ninja suspected. But that didn't mean he didn't' hurt occasionally. He wanted. He hurt. He mourned. He never really rejoiced. He celebrated with the travelers and pretended he was as happy as everyone else. He didn't feel it. He didn't particularly enjoy it, but to avoid all questions about himself, he played happy.

But all he wanted was for Kurogane to wrap his arms around him, hold him as a lover and keep him safe. It would never happen though. He would never hold him the way he wanted to be held. Kurogane was a man of action, he wasn't a man of gentle touches and he wasn't about to give into the whims of a silly of a wizard who missed his homes. Who missed his man, his lover. His abuse.

And so he cried at night. Silently, without making any movements, without making any movements, without making any sounds. He was practiced at the art of secret tears. On his back, he let the tears fall from his eyes and onto the pillow behind him. The dark ceiling danced in blurry acknowledgement of his tears as he mourned, his body longing for the warmth of another's body. World hopping was a wearying adventure into time. He wanted the closeness one got when one was laying with another.

"Hey wizard," Kurogane's rough voice rose in the quiet dark.

"What is it, Kuro-chan? I thought you were sleeping," Fai smiled, his voice dancing with joy.

"Shut up. I hear you crying. What's wrong with you?" Kurogane asked angrily.

"I'm not crying! What would I have to cry about?" Fai asked.

"You tell me. What are you crying for?"

"I'm not crying Kuro-chan. I never cry," Fai answered quickly, smiling.

Kurogane's form rose above him, towering in the night. "I hate liars," Kurogane grumbled, wiping his hand across Fai's cheek. "You are crying, that's why you're cheeks are wet. What's bothering you?"

"Oh Kuro-chan, you're such a softie. You're worrying about me!" Fai teased.

"Shut up Fai. Tell me why you cry. Tell me why you don't sleep at night? Tell me why you cry all the time?"

"I'm not going to reveal my secrets," Fai smiled. "You are welcome to try to stop the tears if you want."

"How would I stop them?"

"You just have to stay with me. That's all I ask of you. Will you stay with me tonight?" Fai asked softly.

"I'm here aren't I?" Kurogane grumbled.

"Stay in the bed with me. I… I want…" Fai broke off quietly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks as he looked away from the towering form.

"What do want?"

"I want… I want you to hold me, please?" Fai asked, his voice near pleading.

Kurogane didn't say anything. He slipped into the bed and put his arms around Fai's thin body. The wizard snuggled against the ninja.

"You can cry if you want to. I won't stop you," Kurogane muttered.

Fai nodded and tightened his grip on Kurogane. The only sound was their breathing. "Thank you Kurogane," Fai whispered, holding tightly to the ninja.

When the sun rose, neither would mention it and neither would forget. As darkness fell again, they would lay together, sharing in the secrets they alone held.

_Dedicated to my friend Tainted Desires for helping me when I needed it the most. For holding my hand when I was lost. And for being my friend when I needed it._


	13. Blue

There is something soothing about the color blue. He didn't know why he liked the color so much. It couldn't have anything to do with the thin wizard who only wore shades of blue. Or that his deep eyes were of the deepest blue. It didn't have anything to do with that wizard. He was not concerned with the wizard's haunted blue eyes. He was not concerned with the pain that crossed the pretty feminine face now and again.

He certainly didn't care that when they were in Ryonfi he had seemed eager to go to his death at the hands of that witch, no matter what he said. That although he hadn't died, he had allowed disappointment to cross his pretty face. He hated that. The acidic rain would have killed him. He'd been hurt enough. He didn't need the roughness which he was treated with, but he'd gotten it. And he didn't protest against it.

And again in Outo, he'd been unconcerned when the oni had attacked him. He'd been knocked unconscious. And although he would never admit it, a certain fear had run through the ninja. It wasn't possible that the simple wizard who only smiled would be hurt. He'd retaliated, destroying the oni who had attacked. He'd killed because the wizard had been hurt. Death was possible and he hated that he had allowed the thin waif to be hurt.

Obviously he hadn't died as he had continued to journey, but he'd come awfully close. And he hated that the wizard was so easy going about it all. It didn't merit his concern. He hated he was so uncaring about his own well-being. He didn't care about himself and he didn't care to stay alive.

When they had met Ashura, he'd been much quieter than ever before. It was disconcerting and awkward, but he'd liked the silent wizard as much as he liked _(didn't!)_ the happy counterpart. He liked the happy wizard. The wizard who wore blue that matched his eyes. Blue eyes that were so sedate and cool and calm and opposite of the wizard's outgoing personality.

He liked the color blue. It calmed him and soothed him and always reminded him of the little wizard. The wizard he wanted, he yearned after and could never have.


	14. Prelude

Fai was curled in on himself, his lithe body wrapped in a ball on the large bed they were sharing in this strange world. Kurogane wouldn't question the movement or the motives behind Fai's sudden need to be alone, his sudden desire to hide within the large blankets that would hide him.

He was however, surprised when Fai asked him to stay, begging him softly, his voice deep and low and so different than what he was used to, to stay with him, to stay beside him and just be there. He didn't want to be held and he didn't want to be cradled, he just wanted somebody else in the room with him.

Kurogane didn't question him; he didn't let himself dwell on what this might mean for his relationship with the little wizard until Fai had begun shaking, his body trembling with the tears he silently shed. He let Fai cry until the tears stopped, as if (ironically) by magic. Fai didn't like to be the center of true attention. He was much better at playing the fool and being ignored for it. So, in this quiet room with just himself and Kurogane, Fai was tense and timid and all the things he wouldn't normally be.

"Why? Why today?" Kurogane finally whispered in the quiet of the room, when the sniffles (which lingered longer than the tears) subsided.

"Because it's his birthday and it's my fault. All of it is my fault," Fai whispered brokenly from his balled position.

"What the hell are you on about?" Kurogane grumbled.

"Promise that no matter what happens in our journey together that you'll always love me," Fai asked softly. He uncurled and turned wet blue eyes to the ninja before blinking slowly. His face was drawn and tense and Kurogane wanted nothing more than to take his arms and wrap them around Fai and hold him.

"I ain't promising nothing," he declared softly.

"I need you to. And then I'll tell you a story," Fai smiled sadly.

"You'll tell me a story?"

Fai didn't answer verbally. He nodded slowly and his body tensed as he realized what that would mean to him, what that would mean for their relationship.

"Okay. Tell me a story," Kurogane demanded softly. "And it better be a good one."

Fai seemed to relax a little. He sat up and shifted so that he was sitting closer to Kurogane. Leaning into the silent strength of the ninja, Fai began softly, "Once upon a time, I was a wizard for a great and powerful king…"

_please don't hate me for the vagueness of this little drabble. it was meant to be vague. i'll continue this little idea in another one later on. thank you for reading and reviewing!_


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